Page 34 of Before You Say I Do
“So Marcus came along at just the right time?”
Abby gripped the glass wall with both hands, taking a small step back and dropping her head. Her hair fell forward. “He did. When he turned up at my office, I did a double-take. Then after we went out for dinner, it just happened. No drama.” She shrugged. “Getting together with him was easy. There were no fireworks, no grand gestures. We just fell into each other. Our wedding felt inevitable.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
Abby lifted her head and ran a hand through her hair. She didn’t look so sure. “I guess so. But we don’t have a relationship like Taran and Ryan. We live apart, and I don’t have to speak to him all the time. Sometimes I wonder if I’m settling. That it’s just my time of life to get married. If I’ve taken the easy road.”
This conversation was a well-worn theme among her brides. “If Marcus is the easy road, perhaps it’s one worth travelling?” She turned and leaned her bum on the glass wall, staring at Abby.Damn, she was beautiful.“He loves you, you love him, and you come from a basis of friendship. I’d say that counts for a lot.”
Abby sucked in her cheeks. “So everyone tells me.”
Jordan tried so hard not to stare at Abby’s exposed neck. At the way the moonlight danced on her skin. But she failed. Desire lodged itself in her throat like a fishbone. She swallowed hard.
Abby stared at her, then shook her head. “But back to you. Much more fun.” Her smile lit up the night. “Are you gay, bi, or something else?”
That was direct. “Card-carrying gay.”
“What does the card say?”
Jordan smiled. “Come back in October when I’m done with weddings, then we can talk.”
Had she really just said that out loud? Like she was some kind of lothario? She couldn’t trust herself to say the right thing anymore.
Abby laughed. But was there hesitation in her tone, too? “I’m intrigued you haven’t had a relationship for so long.” Her face turned pensive. “Brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘married to your job’.”
“There’s a certain irony.” Jordan’s heart was hammering in her chest. What she would give to wind the clock back 30 seconds.
“Doesn’t it make a difference that the women you’re getting close to are getting married?”
She wasn’t making this easy, was she? “Of course. But the job involves long hours and lots of weekends. Plus, I have to be on-call 24/7. It doesn’t leave much time for me. Or anybody else involved with me.”
Abby nodded, processing that. “I apologise.”
Jordan gave her a rueful smile. “Don’t. Marcus is paying me well.”
Abby nodded slowly. “But do you miss having someone?” Her eyes were back on Jordan.
Was there a right answer here? “Sometimes. It would be nice to have someone to crawl into bed with at night, even if I got home at 2am.” Jordan imagined crawling into bed with Abby. She blinked. “You’re about to get that with Marcus, which you must be looking forward to.”
Abby turned her head skyward and didn’t reply right away. “Sometimes I worry we won’t like it, and perhaps we should have tried it out first. Most couples do.”
Jordan knew they lived at separate addresses, which was unusual. “But there’s some romance to it, right?”
Abby took a deep breath. “But is it weird? Have we not wanted to move in together for a reason?” She paused, glancing at Jordan, then shook her head. “You know what, ignore me. It’s just last-minute nerves. Marcus is wonderful, and I’m a lucky woman to have found him. He’s going to make a great husband and father.”
Jordan didn’t let her gaze linger on Abby. She’d seen these freak-outs before, and she knew the people responsible needed space. That’s what she’d give Abby.
A good few moments slid by before she spoke again. “Last-minute nerves are par for the course. It’ll all work out in the end.”
* * *
Abby nodded,but uncertainty flooded her system so hard, she was surprised she wasn’t short-circuiting.
She’d had too much to drink, hadn’t she? Why else was she blurting out her doubts to a stranger?
Only, Jordan wasn’t a stranger anymore. She was almost a friend. A woman who’d walked into Abby’s life and pierced her resolve where it was most vulnerable. Making Abby question not only her relationship with Marcus, but also her sexuality.
This wasn’t in the weekend script. She was on her hen do, for goodness sake. This wasn’t the time to be having such huge doubts. This was a time to focus on her future and on Marcus. Not on feelings that had crept up on her, and were now unsettling her completely.
